Motivated by the current (2011) political climate in Wisconsin it seems reasonable to devote some time and effort to comment on issues and some of the hyperbole. So we in the public should do what we can to help focus "journalists" on delineating real facts versus spin. If you accept the spin you do not understand the policy implications.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

The article from NBC news does a good job illustrating why we should be skeptical about any change from the status quo. How strange ... a conservative idea expressed by liberals. The burden for proof of benefits by the proponents should always in these situations be much higher than those saying don't do it! They should also be made to bear the risks now and not pass them off to the future as if they did not exist. Talk about a corporation looking out for your grandchildren ... give me a break!

Why?

Externalities

Law of unintended consequences

The tendency to exaggerate by those that benefit economically

Future accountability

These four ideas are really not so different from one another ... just different, clever ways to say not everything can be predicted but most certainly "somethings cannot be undone". Like an accident that pollutes an aquifer or a river and destroys countless lives. Things like "fracking" and "BP Gulf Oil Spill" fall in that category too!

... "Oil companies don’t benefit by reducing the price that we pay at the pump," said Jeremy Symons, a spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation. "The reason they're willing to invest so much money to build in a pipeline all the way across America is to maximize their profit. And that means we're all going to pay more." ...

In essence a lot of the arguments come down to "international/global" companies that seek to be able to sell their product to the highest bidder and it will raise prices locally in the U.S. The lack of a pipeline restricts their profits.

During the run up to the last Presidential election former Senator Rick Santorum I just classified him, in my mind, as what was wrong with the right.

I had already been following Haidt but this new TED presentation came out. He makes a point about finding common ground that reflects on how we may all see the same problem but we label them so differently that we, of differing opinions, never realize we see the same problem. This prevents us from realizing an opportunity!

This morning NPR has a great story about "families". Perhaps we can use it to focus on the "real problem" rather than labels and self-righteous rhetoric from the left or the right! See the link below this video ... take the time to reflect.

It is not a coincidence that Walker proposes to increase school voucher programs. It is no coincidence the Don Pridemore is running against Tony Evers, current Superintendent of Department of Public Instruction. It is a further step in politicizing education while creating an opportunity for GOP friends to make a buck from "public tax dollars".

You take control and money away from local school boards and remove oversight and light over how the schools are operated. You get inexperienced poorly paid and trained teachers with the real "public" dollars flowing to the management class.

After all public education is just one of those handouts that the %47 get for free. Pridemore probably has all kinds of donors lined up from you know where: Koch, Charter Schools, etc.

The plan won praise from School Choice Wisconsin, a group that advocates for expanding vouchers statewide.

"We think it's great," said Jim Bender, the group's president. "We
think there're going to be a lot of new opportunities for kids all over
Wisconsin."

The school voucher movement is a powerful force in Wisconsin. School
Choice Wisconsin has two former Republican speakers of the state
Assembly — John Gard and Jeff Fitzgerald — working to advance its cause.
And a third Republican speaker, Scott Jensen, works as a lobbyist for
the American Federation for Children, another group that supports
expanding vouchers

At the rate of state aid funding for public schools, it would take 12
years to replace the money lost in the last budget, she said. Walker
contends schools have been able to save money because the collective
bargaining law also required teachers to contribute more toward their
pension and health care benefits.The nonpartisan Wisconsin
Taxpayers Alliance reported in November that those cuts in benefits and
limiting union-negotiated raises to the rate of inflation offset about
two-thirds of the reductions in school revenue in the 2011-2012 academic
year.Pope said the increase in aid Walker is proposing won't be enough to help schools struggling to make ends meet."These people are trying to starve Wisconsin public schools," she said.

Mining seems to be not only controversial in Wisconsin but also in El Salvador (or Columbia or pick your Latin or South American country). Different companies same behavior. In Wisconsin the Legislature and Governor are only trying to sell the environment. Trying to protect "water" in El Salvador may get you killed.

The mining bill is sliding into the final stage. I have studied the earlier bill and this new one for hours. My representatives at the state level have turned from the people of this state and given away more than I could ever think possible to mining companies in the name of jobs. My faith in Wisconsin government is gone. ...

...I am beyond sad by the arguments and arrogance and lies.

Tell your mothers and your daughters and your granddaughters what you are going to do tonight. Show them this picture of the ice spike and tell them she is a turdsicle. Tell them about the coal plant and the clean water and how the Indians up here are subhuman like my neighbors do. Then tell them you hope other areas will be dynamited and destroyed as well. Tell them you are with Alberta Darling and everything she says.

The children and future generations will pay for your decision. Your daughters. Tell them why you don’t care about me or my children.

From the article

Carolyn Lake to the left and the headwaters of the Bad River. This land is sacred ground for the Anishinaabeg, and provides the fresh water for the entire area. The mine will destroy the headwaters. Photo: Larry Kinnett

The blog entry from RebelReporting.com essentially connects the dots (self-interest) between WORT, Madison, Wisconsin, mining and corporate mentality and Central and Latin Amerca ( I would say morality but since corporations are not people you can expect the principle to operate).

... I [CJBell] wasn’t expecting to be greeted with a token of home in the relatively
remote Cabañas, El Salvador, but the first thing I saw while visiting
Radio Victoria was a familiar friend. As I approached the front door of
the building I instantly noticed the WORT 89.9 FM bumper sticker seen on
so many of Madison’s vehicles, sometimes acting as a bandaid to cover
up rust. WORT FM and Radio Victoria have been sister stations since
2005. ...

... Inspired by Radio Venceremos, the idea for Radio Victoria (Radio
Victory) began in 1987. It wasn’t until after the Peace Accords were
signed in 1992 that it became a possibility. Finally establishing the
radio station in 1993 was considered a huge victory for Santa Marta, a
community that suffered massacres similar to El Mozote during the war.
Our informant, Oscar Beltran, boasted that surviving 20 years is yet
another victory for the station.

... workers at the radio station began to receive death threats and the
radio tower was vandalized. In 2009 community leader and activist
Gustavo Marcelo Rivera, who regularly spoke out against mining, was
tortured and his body was thrown down a well. Journalists were
threatened with the same fate. Many believe Pacific Rim was responsible.

Today's feature is an interview with Grahame Russell, a lawyer and
co-director of the US/Canadian non-profit "Rights Action", he is the
author of "Code Z59.5" & "The Never Ending". In this segment we hear
from Russell about his latest book "Code Z59.5: There is Only One
People Here," in which he exposes the systemic root causes of poverty,
the link between mining and repression in Indigenous People's land in
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and why inequity affects us all.

This interview was produced by Stuart and Sylvia Richardson of Latin
Waves Grassroots Media. For more information, contact:
<latinwavesmedia.com>

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

It is really silly to use this kind of information as other than some very crude guideline. Seems we focus on the endpoint ... which will never be where it is predicted to be. Compare last year's predictions to this year's predictions 10 years out. We need to be cautious but not panicked. We need change but not destruction.

Remember Hurricane Sandy ... projections about where it will go from where it is drawn as a broad cone from the origin ... no knows exactly where it will go ... bigger and less certain the further you get from where it is ... economic forecasts are like that because there are so many things that might happen to change the outcome - like create jobs or raise tax revenues.

The GOP strategy is to continue the strategy of job and growth strangulation through perpetuating uncertainty.

Walker's plans to help the middle class does a lot more for higher income households that actually have discretionary income than it does for the middle class or the poor. I guess he is relying on ignorance about progressive tax systems by supporters and non-supporters. If you want to help the middle class - increase the top tax rates. Cutting the lower rates, or middle rates puts as many dollars into the high income person as it does the low income!

The lowest bracket for all classes of taxpayers is 4.6% and the highest is 7.75%. The bracket size varies based on class of taxpayer (e.g., single). You could do so many different things with tax rates. If you wanted to see more money spent immediately you could for example split the rate for the lowest bracket. If you wanted to raise more revenue from those with large amounts of discretionary income you would either lower the top bracket threshold or raise the rate for the top bracket or create another bracket.

These are of course difficult political decisions but you can be sure the Democrats and Republicans have separate constituencies that they try to direct benefits to.

Without seeing the actual tax policy revenue estimates and simulations you will never know what Walker is really trying to do. Trust me I used to run those kind of simulations for the LFB (Legislative Fiscal Bureau).

The question and answer below illustrates that eliminating Wisconsin's "income tax" with an even more agressive / regressive increase in "sales tax" amounts to a very big tax shift to the elderly! It has been reported that Walker is considering just such a change. Sales tax very regressive taxes impacting the poor and middle class much more than the high income and wealthy.

How much of my social security benefits are taxable by Wisconsin?

For tax years beginning on and after January 1, 2008, Wisconsin does not tax social security benefits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I said it ... now we have some numbers ...

He is still in the WI Legislature but lost this bid for DPI job --- 7/2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reading though an entry from Wikipedia I note that he has had endorsements from the NRA (National Rifle Association ), anti-choice group (Wisconsin Right To Life ? ).

He is a strong supporter (in committee and other capacity) of recent "VoterID" legislation making it difficult for students, the elderly, the rural population and non-driving population of the state to vote (i.e., the 47%, 99%).

He supported legislation (I believe of the same nature as state Senator Grothman) that "nonmarital
parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect." This on the surface seems to be the Rick Santorum - Single Mothers Destroying America school of thought.

In December 2012 he announced his candidacy for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction ... if elected one can assume that he will be a strong supporter of charter school initiatives, using public money to support private schools and further diminish local control of education. Teachers and parents should be very concerned.

Wisconsin State Assembly

2010 Primary

In 2010, Pridemore faced a three-way primary for the 99th District
from Hartford Mayor Scott Henke and former Sussex Village Trustee Jim
Batzko. With endorsements from the National Rifle Association[4] and a 100% rating from Wisconsin Right to Life,[5] Pridemore won with 58% of the vote.[6]

2012 Primary

Redistricting moved Pridemore to the 22nd District. Hartford was no longer in his district, but most of Menomonee Falls and parts of Milwaukee were. In 2012, Nick Oliver
challenged Pridemore for the Republican nomination for the 22nd
Assembly District. With endorsements from the Menomonee Falls Taxpayer
Association,[7]Mark Belling,[8] and Governor Scott Walker,[9] Pridemore defeated Oliver 83% to 17%.[10]Pridemore was unopposed in the general election after successfully
challenging Democrat challenger Chad Bucholtz's nomination papers.
Bucholtz turned in at least 17 ineligible signatures.[11] As a result, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board found Bucholtz was 13 signatures short of the 200 needed to be on the ballot.[12]

Legislation

Healthcare whistleblowers

Election reform

Pridemore has introduced legislation to require photo identification in Wisconsin elections.[15]
Special registration deputies would also be required to have a criminal
background check. His bill would also move the party primaries from
September to August so as not to conflict with a federal law intended to
give military and overseas voters enough time to vote.[16]

Nonmarital parenthood and child abuse

In 2012, Pridemore cosponsored a bill that recognized "nonmarital
parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect".[17]
He commented that in some situations there may be other options than
divorce, stating "If they can refind those reasons and get back to why
they got married in the first place it might help."[18]
Politifact rated as "True" the bill author's claim that children in a
nonmarital parenthood setting "have a 20 times greater chance of being
sexually abused."[19]

Dog breeders

In 2011, Pridemore sponsored legislation that would redefine
"commercial breeder" to protect hobby breeders and rescues from
restrictions targeting large scale 'puppy mills.' The previous
restrictions had been implemented by former Governor Jim Doyle in an effort to prevent 'puppy mills' where dogs live in abusive and neglectful conditions[20][21][22] The Dog Federation of Wisconsin argued that the previous restrictions were negatively impacting "rescue groups and smaller humane societies".[23] The previous restrictions were resulting in increased "dumping" of dogs in rural counties.[24]